Redemption
by KC87
Summary: "The moment he looked into her head was the moment Kylo Ren became Ben Solo once more." Or in which Kylo Ren turns away from the Dark Side and returns home with his father. Reylo. HanLeia. FinnPoe.
1. Chapter 1

_**Disclaimer:**_ I don't own Star Wars or its characters. This is for fun and I am not making profit of any kind.

I just saw the movie, and I couldn't help but write this fic. I want to redeem Kylo and I want the Solo family to be happy. So, I made a thing.

 _ **Prologue**_

He looks at his father's pleading eyes as he holds the saber between them. He needs to do this so that he might ascend to the level of power his grandfather procured. He needs to make this final move so that he can become the man he's desired so much to be. But he can't. He can't, because he remembers too much from his childhood. He can't, because he sees the look on his mother's face. He can't, because his uncle has already lost too much for him.

"I want to walk away," Kylo says. "I don't want to be _this_ anymore."

"Ben," his father puts his hand on the saber. "It's okay. We can find a way to make this right - for Luke - for your mother…"

Kylo releases the saber from his hands. He drops both arms to his sides. He can feel that pull to the dark side. He can feel his grandfather lingering in his head. He's so tempted to pull that saber from his father's hands and drive it through his heart. There's this part of him that believes that it's the _perfect_ path - the path that will make him strong. His shoulders tense as he feels that power release from him. It was that girl's fault. It all started when he picked through her mind. He saw something in there, and it was so good - so pure. It was enough to tug him to that in between in the force, and now he can't say where he stands. Kylo Ren - no Ben Solo - is completely lost at what he should do.

Ben tenses where he stands. He looks to the man across from him. He isn't Han Solo to him anymore. He is once again his father. He feels a tear fall down his cheek as his father opens his arms to him. He embraces him for the first time in what feels like an eternity. He feels voices in his head again - Snoke and Palpatine - one that haunts him in death and one that haunts him in life. He resists them, because right now, he's with his father. Right now, he is Ben again.

"Let's go home, son," his father's voice cracks as he speaks.

"Is she with you?" he asks.

"Your mother?" he says.

"No," he pauses. "Rey."

"Yeah," his father says.

He breathes and smiles over his dad's shoulder. "I tried to hurt her, and I saw something. I'm just - I'm so sorry."

His chest constricts as he thinks of that pure light again. It feels so inviting, and he can feel those voices in his head fall away from him. He pulls away from his father and looks to him for some sort of guidance.

"Ben," his father places his hand on his shoulder. "Let's go home."

Ben stares into his father's eyes, and he knows that he is making the correct decision. He gives him a small nod, and he follows him. He hears those voices again, but he thinks of Rey. He remembers that pure force of light within her, and it quiets his mind. He looks up, and he sees her next to the former Stormtrooper. He feels a pang of jealousy as he sees them so close together. He can hear the voices again, but he forces himself to move forward.

He wants to know her. He wants to be with her in every possible way. The moment he looked into her head was the moment Kylo Ren became Ben Solo once more.


	2. Chapter 2

Rey can fill anger fill her as she sees Kylo asleep across from her. She remembers him pressing into her thoughts, her emotions, the last bastion of her self - her mind. Anger rises through her chest, and it takes everything in her not to drive newfound light saber through his skull. Han directed her otherwise - said he was good or something. Her anger burns within her like a wildfire, and she cannot believe that Han would so easily forgive him.

She laces her fingers together and rests her hands in her lap. She feels a hand on her shoulder and turns to see Finn gazing at her with concerned brown eyes. She lowers her gaze back to her hands, and she tries to fight the anger she feels to the man across from her.

"I can't believe he let him come here," she hisses. "It's a trick. I know it is."

"He must have his reasons," Finn says.

"I'm sure he does," she whispers angrily. "But he doesn't know him like I do!"

"I know," Finn is reassuring. "I've seen what he can do."

Rey feels like every nerve in her body is going to light on fire. She glances over at Kylo again, and she swears that one more hour with him will drive her insane. She sucks in a deep breath of air and releases it. She doesn't understand why Han would allow him to come here. He's not even cuffed. No, he is leaving him here for them to watch as if he's a child. Rey can feel her anger rise again, and it takes everything not to explode in sheer rage.

"How many resistance members died because of people like him?" Rey says. "How many men and women did we lose today?"

She can see Finn's eyes become glossy. He lowers his gaze, and she can see his right fist ball up. Her eyes soften, and she can feel her anger dissolve just a bit.

"Finn?" she whispers.

"It's Poe. He's alive. At least...I hope he is. He…" Finn's glares over at Kylo. "He took you before I found out he was still alive."

Finn takes his hand from her shoulder, and Rey places her hand on his. She tries to give him a convincing hopeful smile, but she's sure it's just as bleak as the look in his eyes.

"I'm sure he made it out," she says.

She sees a small smile emerge on his face. "I hope so."

"I know so," Rey says.

It's dishonest, because how could she really know. Still, she watches Finn's smile grow, and it's enough for her to feel good about her words. She takes her hand off his hand, and she stands.

"Where are you going?" Finn asks.

"I have to talk to Han," she says as her eyes narrow at Kylo. "You watch him. Don't let him out of your sight."

"I won't," Finn promises with a smile. "You're safe on my watch."

Rey paces through the Falcon until she reaches the cockpit. Han is with Chewie, and Rey releases a heavy sigh. She takes a few steps closer and releases the tension in her shoulders.

"Do you mind if I take over for a bit?" she asks Chewie.

He lets out a deep growl and rises from his seat. Chewie exits the cockpit, and it takes Rey a few moments before she drops into the copilot seat. Her chest feels heavy, and she just wishes she could understand Han's reasoning for so easily pardoning Kylo Ren from his crimes.

"Do you really think it's safe to have him onboard?" Rey finally asks. "He's not cuffed, and who knows what he can do?"

"Just trust me," Han says. "It'll be fine."

Han's answer does not soothe her, and she can feel that familiar anger in her chest. She almost snaps at Han. She almost a tells her of her interrogation, and what it felt like to have Kylo pick through her mind. She remembers it so clearly - the invasion of her thoughts. All of her secrets and insecurities were splayed out for him to see, and it's too hard to forgive it.

"He got into my head," she says. "He saw things…"

She can't finish her sentence, and she clenches her jaw shut as she seethes with anger. She can feel her hands ball into fists, and it takes everything to keep her calm.

"Look," Han says. "I know you don't like him being here, but there's a reason for it. I'll explain it when we get back to the resistance."

Rey can feel frustration cut through every nerve in her body. She takes in a deep breath and leans back into her seat. She wants to trust Han, because he's never done her wrong before. She wants to believe there is some bigger reason for this.

"Please just trust me," Han insists as he glances over to her.

"I trust you," she says half-heartedly.

She doesn't want to let it go. Rey wants to argue with Han until they agree to drop Kylo out of an airlock, but she refrains from snapping at him. Han has never led her astray since they've met, and she unwilling to drop her trust in him. There is a reason, and Rey is confident that her reasoning will be explained.

Still, the lack of restraints on Kylo bother her. She's seen what this man is capable of, and she doesn't even want him on the same planet as her. She represses the urge to shudder as the memory of him prying into her mind resurface for what feels like the hundredth time. She'll trust Han in his belief that it is safe to take Kylo back with them, but she's decided that she will have nothing to do with them once they return Takodana.

Rey lets out a defeated sigh as Falcon slows in front of the forest planet. Her nerves become tense as the Falcon penetrates the atmosphere. She glances over at Han who is too quiet for her liking. There's a story behind his decision to take Kylo back with them, and the thought to what that might be is unsettling.

The Falcon drops down with ease and lands. Rey has never met Poe yet, but she sees a few orange resistance pilots on the ground. She hopes one of them might be him. She allows herself to smile, and she hopes that Poe is as kind of a person as Finn has led her to believe. She may never see herself getting anywhere near Kylo Ren, but she's sure as hell willing to be a friends with a man Finn approves of with such high esteem.

* * *

Ben is stiff as a board when the Falcon lands. He hears Chewie let out a loud moan, and the former Stormtrooper says a few words to him. Ben doesn't move. He can still feel resentment and anger towards his father. Yet, he trusts him more than these two. He feels at ease as he hears their footsteps fade away. He wants to be away from Chewie and away from the unknown Stormtrooper. He doesn't trust either of them.

Then, there's Rey. He heard what she's said about him to the Stormtrooper, and he's felt her anger since his surrender. He remembers the look on her face when he followed his father back to them. Her eyes were as cold as ice, and the anger he felt from her felt as if it were splitting through his skull.

Ben hears a pair of heavy boots hit the floor, and he's sure that it's his father. He doesn't move, because a part of him just wants to stay here curled up where it feels almost _safe_. There is an amount of responsibility he's going to have to take for his actions, and he can't imagine that his father is going to allow that to be put on hold. He thinks of his mother. He can already see the look of disapproval in his eyes, and he's not even sure what he will say when he sees her.

"Look," his father's voice is void of sympathy and has become stern. "What you did - you're going to have to be held accountable. This isn't a get out of jail free type of deal."

He's not ready to look at his father or even talk about what is to come. So, he curls into himself just a little bit more and whispers, "I know. I knew it when I surrendered."

"When you see your mother, I expect that you are on your best behavior," his father's voice hardens, and Ben's gut wrenches at the thought of even attempting to offer some kind of explanation to his mother.

"Also, try not to approach Rey. She's a little testy about what happened back there. So, just don't piss her off," his father instructs. "Now, come on. I don't have all day."

Ben practically has to force himself to sit up and stand in front of his father. His father is holding a pair of restraints in his hands, and Ben feels his heart slip at the sight.

"There are tons of resistance fighters that want to hurt you out there," his father says as he places the restrains around Ben's wrists. "No funny business or you're gonna have an angry mob on you."

Ben can feel whispers in his head, and his heart feels heavy. He can feel that pull to the dark side as he feels hope fall away from him. He thinks of Rey, and he remembers that light he felt inside of her. He focuses on that small sliver of hope that he saw, and it's enough to fight that pull.

His father grabs his upper arm and escorts him down the ramp. Ben tries not to look - tries not to see the venom, the anger, the rage in all of these fighters' eyes. He tries not to feel it, but it's an impossibility. Then, he sees _her_ a few feet in front of him. She is shaking hands with a dark haired pilot. She's smiling, and the Stormtrooper is bragging about something this pilot had accomplished.

The pilot's eyes pull away from Rey and the Stormtrooper. He expects to see anger in his eyes, but there's something else - pity. Ben decides that it feels so much worse to be pitied than to hated. There's just something so pathetic about the notion that someone would actually feel sorry for him. It makes his stomach turn in disgust.

He manages to steal a glance at Rey. He expects her eyes to narrow at him and stare him down like they always seem to do. She turns them away from him, and he gaze becomes distant. His heart lurches. He shouldn't want her as much as he does, but he can't help but want to know what she's like to be around. Ben wants to know what makes her so _good_.

He can't look at her anymore. It's too much for him. His eyes tear away from her, and he feels only a few seconds of reprieve. Then, he sees his mother in front of him. Her arms are crossed, and her eyes are narrowed with disapproval. He's questioning why he even bothered to come back here. He had so much freedom with the First Order. He would be free to do as he pleases if he were there.

But, this is what he chose, and there is no going back now.

His mother's eyes are glossy, and he can feel that this is very difficult for her. She tears her gaze away from him, and he can hear her draw in a deep, heavy breath. "Thank you, Han for reprimanding him."

He wants to call out to her. He opens his mouth to say something, but she puts her hand up to stop him. "Not now - not here, Ben. _Later_."


End file.
